Utah football fans are upset with Keanu Tanuvasa again. The BYU lineman says his comments were ‘misconstrued.Keanu Tanuvasa says he emotionally “broke down” for weeks after transferring from Utah to BYU this offseason.
Since the defensive tackle made the move to the Utes’ in-state rival, he’s faced social media criticism from Utah fans upset about his decision to leave the program.
“I’ve never faced pressure under opinions of that many people, and that many people that cared,” Tanuvasa said in an interview on ESPN700 on Tuesday. “I broke down consistently over those first two weeks, probably, because I felt like I had given [my all] to the University of Utah, everything that I wanted to give it. I don’t know if there was a player that was more bought into that program than I was.”He added, “I sacrificed, and I don’t want to sound prideful, but really a lot more than some guys were willing to.”
Tanuvasa’s interview immediately prompted new online backlash from Utah fans, fueled in large part by a misquoted comment shared on the social media platform X.
The swell of comments grew large enough that Tanuvasa addressed it later in the afternoon while speaking to reporters at Big 12 Media Days.
“I would say I misspoke, or at least it was misconstrued in the way that I meant it,” he said. “I just tried to say in my time [at Utah], I felt there were areas that I dedicated myself and had given my all to the university at that time. And I guess it was wrong, because it maybe sounded like I was comparing it with other people. I especially wasn’t comparing it to people.”
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake urged fans to “try to understand where [Tanuvasa] is coming from.”
I don’t know exactly what’s out there, but I know that he loves Utah,” Sitake said. “I know he appreciates Utah. I know that his family feels the same way. I hope people can understand where he’s coming from and why he made the decision that he did. It’s not a popular one for a lot of people.”
Tanuvasa said he wasn’t surprised by the reaction from Utah fans to his comments.I understood transferring from a rival to another rival is going to be extremely difficult,” he told reporters at Big 12 Media Days. “So I think people are right in the way that they feel. I think there maybe could be a little bit more gray area sometimes, because I’m still 23 and developing. But I think people are right in their feelings to feel how they want to feel.”
Sitake, who also went from Utah as a coach to BYU, understands what the player is going through.
“I think sometimes people take things out of context,” Sitake said. “But if you know his heart, you know where he’s at. I think everybody can understand that. We just got to ease up a little bit and try to put yourself in his position.”
Tanuvasa told ESPN700 that his choice to transfer fractured relationships with his former teammates, too. He said he recently went to an unnamed Ute player’s wedding after reconciling following months of silence.I will still love them, even though there’s a lot of emotional feelings,” the BYU defensive tackle said in the radio interview. “Many of them are still bitter. I just went to one of the boy’s weddings, and it was a tough experience. But, I messaged him, and we’ve been talking. We distanced ourselves for three to four months when I left, and now we’re finally coming around to talking.”
